Tone-modifier



.H E. WriiTE.

TONE MODIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7 I916v 2,394,005. Patented May 20,1919

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 H. E. WHITE.

TONE MODIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7. me

1,304,005; Patented May 20, 1919.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Inventor: (Wa J 6M4, 541;

Littonwwl UNITED STATES PATENT omuon.

HAROLD EDWARD WHITE, OF PUTNEY, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLIAN COMPAN'LOF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

TONE-MODIFIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 20, 1919.

Application filed June 7, 1916. Serial No. 102,262.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD Eowann l'VmTu, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at ll (lamlcn Road, Putney, in the county of London, England, have mvcnted certain new and useful Improvements in Tone-Modifie'rs of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gramophones, phonographsand similar sound reproducing instruments, the chief object being to enable the volume of sound emitted by the instrument to be varied and controlled in a more reliable and etl'ective manner than has here toiore been possible.

According to the invention a pneumatic or hydraulic sound modifying appliance for the gramophone or similar sound reproducing instrument is provided and adapted to be controlled so as to varythe \volume of sound emitted by the instrument. The sound modifying appliance preferably comprises a flexible chamber situated at some iOlHl between the sound box and the mouth of the instrument and adapted to be ex panded or contracted at the will .of the operator by puemnatic or hydraulic means so as to vary the opening for the passage of the sound.

Alternatively th sound modityingapplionce may he of any other smtabl'etype, for

example, it may comprise a valveyplug, disk or other ohtoratnig device, arranged between the sound box and the mouth ot'the instrumerit and operatively connected with a flexi-v ble bulb be lows air container for other pneumatic hydraulic pressure producing means so to be actuated by the air or liquid nressure produced thereby, such flexible bulb or other means beingcontrolled by the operator or by the driving mechanism of the grainophone. phonograph or other sound reproducing instrument.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into eflect the me will now he described more fully with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which-- Figure l is a sectional elevation of the recording instrument in the form of a gramophone showing; the improved sound modifying (lc'v'ltl; aq'iplied thereto.

F 2 1s a sectional elevation of one form of the improved sound modifying appliance.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view thereof taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

-Fig. i is a sectional elevation of a modified form of the sound modifying appliance, and

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view thereof.

Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive show various forms of pressure producing means employed with the appliance.

Figs. 10 to 13 inclusive. are detail views of valves adapted to control or sustain the action of the sound modifying appliance.

Fig. 14 is a. sectional elevation of a portion of a horn for use with the reproducing instrument showing a further modification in the improved sound modifying appliance applied thereto.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 the sound modifying appliance com rises a rigid or semirigid throat a providhd with a flexible airtight lining a which is adapted to be expanded at will to vary the extent of the opening a in the throat available for the passage of'the sound by n'ieans of air or liquid pressure (hereiimfter called fluid pressure) derived from a flexible bulb, bellows, air container or other pneumatic pressure produ(.-.in-gmcans actuated by the operator or by the driving mechanism of the instrument. The flexible lining a is sealed at its ends a a" to the inside of the throat soas to normally lie close thereto, as shown 7 in full lines in Figs. 2 and 3, and leave a lining will be expanded or diluted, as shown in bnoken lines, to partially or wholly close the passage through the throat. Fluid pres sure may be derived ,l rou'i a flexible bulb 5, Figs. '1 and 7, which is connected by a flexible tube 0' to a tube if leading to the unuu lzu chamber a between the lining a and the throat a of the appliance. The tube FF is connected to the flexible lining a which forms within the throat (I. an cxpansihlc sleeve adapted to be inflated or deflated at will. The degree of closing will depend upon the volume of fluid forced into the an nular chamber through the flexible tube 7;. The operator may, by compressing the bulb b, produce any desired modification of the lob lib

sound emitted by the instrument. The form that the linings would assume when fully expanded may be governed by a spider a or suitable partitions arranged centrally in the passage in the throat a. With this arrangement, When fluid is forced through pipe b into the chamber a, the lining a" which normally rests against the inner wall of the throat a, as shown in full lines in Figs. 2 and 3, is forced'lnwerdly or, in other words, away from the wall of the threat a, and, when in fully expanded condition, rests against the said spider or partitions and assumes a definite configuration, as shown in broken lines in Figs. 2 and 3. The same result may be obtained by forming suitable told lines on the lining which would insure the same folding into a predetermined number of sections when it was dilated by the fluid pressure in the annular space a". 4

The connecting tube 3) may be made or" any suitable length and if desired long enough for remote control. Ur the bulb. b may be arranged-Within the instrument and be operated by a compressingmechanism suitably controlled by the operator through the intervention of a Bowden Wire or other power transmitting device. Such an arrang'ement is shown in Fig. 6 where the bulb or flexible container 5 is arranged between two boards or members (Z, d the latter of which is hinged or pivoted to-the member d, so as to be cepable of angular movement to force the fluid through the tube 03 into the annular chamber between the flexible lining and the throat of the sound modifying appliance. The member d is moved inwardlyabout its pivot or hinge against the action of a spring 02 which normally tends to retain the bulb or flexible container 6 in the expanded condition. Motion is imparted to the member cl by a rod (5 which is connected at one end to a. link a? carried by the said member and at the other end to the inner or actuating Wire d of a Bowden connection d. The outer end of the Wire (5 is connected to a. plunger or rod d displeceebly mounted in a cylinder d the latter being provided'with linger grips d to facilitate the manipulation of the device. When the plunger a is withdrawn from the cylinder (5, the member d is angularly displaced to compress the bulb or flexible container and thereby expand or dilute the lining oi the sound modifying device. If the plunger is released after being withdrawn in this manner it will'return to its original position under the action of the spring i and the lining'of the s01 id moditying device will regain its inoperative cosition. The bulb E may be replaced by eny suitable pressure producing means such as the pump 6 or bellows f shown'respectively in Figs. 8 and 9. The pump 6 comprises a 6 adapted to be displaced therein against the actionof a spring 0 by a rod 6 which projects through the end of the cylinder. The spring a normally retains the iston c at the left hand end of the cylinr er so that the lining of the sound modifying appliance is not affected. When the .lston is forced along the cylinder against t e action of the spring the fluid will be forced through the tube c connected to the annular chamber between the lining and the throat of the sound modifying appliance.

The bellows f shown in Fig. l is normally held in the expanded condition by a spring f suitably disposed therein, and is connected to the annular chamber of the sound modifving appliance by means of the tube f so as-to operate in e similar manner to the pressure producing means hereinbefore described.

The volume of fluid forced into the annular chamber of the throat may be controlled by a valve g shown in Figs. 10 and 11 which is arranged between the pressure producing means and the sound modifying appliance. This valve is adapted to be set to very the dimensions of an orifice or passage g through which the fluid passes and thereby regulates the time during which the action of the sound modifying eppliance endures.

.ny other form of screw down or reducing valve may however be employed.

If the partial .or complete dilation or er:- pension of the flexible lining is to be sustained a valve or other obturating device such as that shown in F 12 and 33 may be arranged between the pressure producing means and the annular fluid chamber l. the sound modifying appliance so that by suitably operating the same the pressure in the said chamber will beiuaintained he desired period of time. The valve comprises a plug it which is adapted to be turned to obstruct the uesseue is tln-owih which the fluid passes on its Way to the sound modifying appliance.

It will be understood that either oi the aforesaid valves may be employed singly moderate or sustain the pressure applied to the sound modifying appliance.

The aforesaid flexible lining in the sound modifying appliance may be replaced by the airtight pouch m shown in ll igs. i and 5. This member is of a. flexible character and is vertically arranged diametrically across the interior of the threat at and sdspted to be expanded by internal fluid l nsure to control the extent or? the opsnir therein.

- The dilation of the pouch would lie effected in a similar manner to the lin .p by means oi a flexible bulb bellows, sir contaizvr or ther pressure producing means actuated by the operator or by the driving mechanism of the instrument. The peach however will Eli expand outwardly toward the interior surface of the throat a to assume the position shown in broken lines in Figs. 4 and 5, as distinguished from the lining which expands inwardly toward the central axis of the passage through the throat. In the former case the closure would be made be tween the pouch and the internal surface of the throat while in the latter case the closure would be made between the outer surfaces of the different sections and the surface of the centrally disposed spider or partitions. If desired the inner wall of the throat (Z- may be provided with an annular protuberance m so as to insure a more per feet closure between the same and the pouch m. Fluid is conducted to the interior of the pouch m through the tube m which is suitably connected with the pressure producing means hereinbefore described.

The threat a may be made of rubber, leather, felt, papier-mach, or other suitable material and may be arranged as shown in Fig. 1, between the sound box a and the mouth of the born a of the instrument.

Referringto Fig. H a is the gramoplionc horn of an instrument provided with a sound modifying appliance a comprisin a flexible throat a which is adapted to he closed b a plu or stopper a? mounted on a spindie or roc a which is capable of axial displacement. Movement is impartedto the rod (1? by a. bellowsa which is expanded by fluid. pressure derived from a flexible bulb ol mratively connected with the inflatable or collapsible member 0 thereof by means of a flexible tube b.

The lower end of the rod a" is connected to a link a carried by the displaceable member or board a of the bellows so that axial movement is imparted to the said rod when the member d is angularly displaced around its pivot or hinge by the inflation or deflation of the member 0 What I claim and desire to secure by Letters' Patent of the United States is 1'. In combination, a sound-conveying conduit; sound-modifier means comprising an expansible annular chanrber within said conduit; and fluid-control means for at will expanding said chamber inwardly toward the axis of the conduit so as to vary the effective passage-way through said conduit.

2. In combination, a sound-conveying conduit; souml-modil'ier means comprising an expansible annular chamber within said conduit; fluid-control means for at will expanding said chamber inwardly toward the axis of the conduit so as to vary the effective passageway through said conduit; and central means in the conduit governing the form which the inside of the annular chamber assumes when expanded against said means.

3. In combination, a sound-conveying conduit; and sound-modifier means for controlling the size of the passage-way through said conduit comprising an expansible chamber with connected fluid-control means for at will varying the degree of expansion of said chamber, and valve-means for at will shut tin off said connection between the expansib e chamber and the fluid-control means.

4. In combination, a sound-conveying conduit; and sound-modifier means for controlling the size of the passage-way through said conduit comprisin -a valve in said conduit, an cxpansible chamber opcratively connected with said valve, and a fluid-control means connected with said chamber for at will varying the degree of expansion of said chamber. S

HAROLD EDWARD WHITE. 

